Mat 3d, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



347 



come, walkin' hpes tail top en' of it, daown tree an' say 

 Kyank-yank-yank t'rough hees nose of it jus' lak dey 

 was leetJy Yankee, tol' me "good morny." 



But Ah' can' help it, Ah '11 was be work for science, 

 to-day. 



So Ah '11 sotatter lot of crumb bread an' fat meat Ah 

 can' heat, for dat bird sem Ah done before Ah was be a 

 science colleck, an' it ant be great many while 'fore lot 

 of it come for heat hees deenay jus' sem as hees usual. 



Den was de tarn for some colleck. 



Ah '11 pant mah kan o' gawn raght on de long of de 

 row, an' "Poong!" Ah' 11 swept mos' all of it. What 

 Ah' 11 ant swept ant mos' on'stan' what was be mean, dey 

 ant know of de science man biff ore, an' tink it was acci- 

 den' prob'ly. An' 'fore Ah '11 gat load mah gawn, he '11 

 come back for hees deenay. 



Den Ah '11 phut gin an' keel mos' all of it. 



What Ah '11 ant keel was beegin for fan' aout Ah was 

 science, an' he '11 all flewed away an' de hwood be all 

 steel, no nowse of some bird nowhere 'cep' beeer black 

 hwoodpeckit chawp mos' loud Ah do, way off, and 

 holler "Keyak! keyak!" but he '11 ant come for de-vote 

 heesef for science. 



Den Ah '11 beegin for peek up mah colleck an' Ah '11 

 gat mah pail full of it, full, full up. 



Den Ah '11 beegin for chawp, an' mek it all de nowse, 

 "Pluck! pluck!" an' de chip flew lak flock of bird, till de 

 tree beegin for tumble, an' squeal, an' groaned, an' 

 "sweeesh— whooin!" down he come. 



Dey ant no bird come for be company of me, 'cep' blue- 

 jay stan' off on tree an' scol' worse as mah mudder-law, 

 an' be jus' baout so good company. It ant no fun for me 

 visit mab mudder-law when be '11 come see mah fam'ly, 

 an' Ah ant never go see it for invite, 'cep' w'en mah fam'ly 

 goin' growed leetly bigger evree year. 



W'en Ah '11 chawp all day an' pile meh cord so Ah 

 won't cheat mahsef, an' dey ant no chickledee an' cardy 

 bird visit me same he' 11 used to, Ah beegin for feel kan' 

 o' lonesick, mos' w'en Ah '11 buil' fires and seet daown for 

 heat mah deenay for not have any of it come for heat 

 'long to me. Mos' all dead, de res' of it 'fraid. 



Den Ah beegin for feel what mans has got for suffer 

 w'en he deevote heesef of science. 



Ah '11 mos' wish Ah '11 ant deevote, but Ah '11 stiff mah 

 top lip, an' Ah '11 swell mah breas' for t'ink Ah was pro- 

 fessor horn, jollity. 



Fore A.h '11 gat mah deenay choke in me, dey was four 

 lave chickledee ant been dar' fore, come for see me, but 

 Ah Ml ant feel 'f Ah want shot it. 



Wal, sah, naow Ah '11 mek all dat colleck, Ah '11 ant 

 know what for do wid it. 



Ah can' stuff it up, TJrsule say he can' stuff it up. 'F 

 he was some turkey or some goose, he'll know haow stuff 

 it up wid onion an' crumb bread so he mek water in you 

 maouth for smell it. 



Ah 'll tried for skin him, but he look more as if cat heat 

 it as anyt'ing. 



'F Ah can hexchange all mah pailful specimans, jus' in 

 de meat, Ah b'lieve dey call'd it, wid some oder pro-f essy , 

 for qua'ter dollar, Ah '11 was willin'. 



'F Ah '11 can' do dat, Ah '11 ant b'lieve bird in han' was 

 wors' two in bush, as Ah '11 hear it say. Ah '11 radder 

 had all dat bird in de bush as handle twice of it. 



Ah '11 radder colleck some moosrat, me, dat Ah can stuff 

 wid steek or mud-turkey, dat Ah can stuff where Ah 

 know. You' Men', Antoine Bissette. 



Scrippos— Ah wish you tol' dat Louis Frenchman what 

 gat hees haoun eat up of wolfs, haow Ah was do w'en Ah 

 leeve in Can'da. Ah guess he be glad for save it so. 



Ah '11 goin' tol' you. 



Ah '11 rub mah dog wid red pepper, sometam, an' w'en 

 wolfs gat hoi' of it he sneeze heesef loose raght off an 

 den sneeze heesef to death mos'. Nex' tarn he see mah 

 dog, he ant want tase of it. 



One tarn Ah '11 tie skin of hell hog on mah dog, an' 

 w'en wolfs took fus' bite dat was 'nough. It was very 

 satisfy kan o' meat, de meat of dog, dress wid sauce 

 piquant de hell hog. 



Ah wish Ah could visit of dat Louis. Ah pre-sume Ah 

 can' on'stan' heem veree well w'en he try for talk Ang- 

 leesh, 'cause dey ant be many Frenchmans can ever learn 

 for spik it so preffeck as Ah was; but Ah '11 ant freegit 

 mah natif languaish, an' prob'ly Ah can tol'heems some- 

 tings. 



Ah been leeve in de Unity State more as forty year, 

 Ah '11 know godd deal w'en Ah come in it, an' Ah been 

 learn sometings everee year sin' Ah '11 come. 



Ant it prob'ly Ah can' tol' sometings, hem? A. B. 



ANGOSTURA.— II. 



MORNING dawned cloudy and moist, much to our 

 satisfaction. We were almost half way down from 

 the rare, cool air of the tableland to the tropical coast, 

 and had been dreading the hot sun. But the cold snap 

 along the Gulf had condensed oceans of moist air, and 

 the gray, foggy clouds came tumbling in unbroken pro- 

 cession over the hills. 



The house, like nearly all the Mexican structures, is 

 built around a court, this one being some 40yds. square. 

 Along the front, which is eastward, runs a broad corri- 

 dor, upon which we stepped out, hunter like, to look at 

 the weather. We were called in by a servant to our 

 morning coffee, where we were met by Don Luis. He is 

 a rather slender young man with a bright, frank look 

 that wins one's regard at once. With a manner much 

 simpler than is usual for a Mexican he cordially informed 

 us that we were in "our house," and must feel and act 

 accordingly. We saw no reason afterward to think 

 that he meant any less than he said. The conversation 

 naturally drifted to the subject of game, and we heard 

 enough to make our nerves tingle. Plenty of deer, tur- 

 key, sandhill cranes, coyotes, and an occasional lion 

 (panther, of course), while as for ducks and quail, why, 

 the woods were full of them. 



Breakfast over, it was decided to give the ducks the 

 first round. While the Doctor and I were quietly inves- 

 tigating among the servants, clerk, mayor domo, etc., of 

 whom a number had assembled about the corridor and in 

 front of the steps, as to where were the best places, how 

 far it was, and such other particulars, the coach came 

 rolling around to the door. Duck hunting in a coach! 

 We consented, though with some fear of being demoral- 

 ized. Mr. C. had no shotgun, and Don Luis, though he 

 had a magnificent Manton muzzleloader, is a devotee of 

 the rifle. Of these he has quite a collection, a fine Bal- 

 lard target, .82-40 a Wesson .23, a half-dozen Winches- 



ters, one of them sighted for his personal use, and Win- 

 chester and Remington carbines enough to arm quite a 

 little troop of men if necessary, as it has sometimes been. 



Giving his Winchester to Mr. C. (he must figure as D >n 

 Ramon hereafter) we were in and bowling down the 

 slope to the ducking ground. A little stream coming 

 from higher grounds is divided up as it crosses the fields 

 into various irrigating ditches. These make their way 

 through a brushy flat between the upper and lower fields. 

 In these flats they spread out into a series of little lakes 

 and ponds, flanked with good brush cover and full of 

 vegetable foods. These were almost covered with ducks 

 of various kinds. They were not used to shotguns, and 

 when we opened up on them they flew around in a sort 

 of dazed way, while we just gave our Mexican friends a 

 little show of what kind of a combinatian a "gringo" and 

 a breechloading shotgun is. It was fun to see the ducks 

 tumble, but more to see the satisfaction of our host. As 

 we had neither boat, boots, nor dog, I was wondering 

 how we were going to secure those of our victims that 

 were in the water, when I saw one of the three or four 

 men who had followed us on horseback ride his pony into 

 the shallow water after the game. The pony pointed 

 dead quite well, but a wing-tipped baldpate rattled him 

 a good deal. Well, "there are more ways of killing a 

 dog, etc." Come to Mexico to see odd things. But who 

 ever thought of hunting ducks with a man on a pony for a 

 retriever? The Mexican rule for hunting, as for most 

 things, is never do anything that your man can do for 

 you. The abundance and cheapness of human labor here 

 is a thing that is a constant wonder to a Northerner. 

 After we had about emptied our shell pockets, and had 

 covered the floor of the coach with an assortment of bald- 

 pates, shovelers, teal — greenwing and cinnamon — sprig- 

 tails and a redhead or two, the rest took the hint and left. 

 It being some time till noon, we got into the carriage for 

 a drive down into the cypress and cedar grove. On our 

 way our host showed us a lovely little waterfall, where 

 the clear and beautiful water plunges to a level some 20ft. 

 lower. He spoke of fish, and as I did not recognize the 

 Indian word he gave me to indicate the kind, my mind 

 peopled the foaming pool with gamy trout or fierce black 

 bass (I knew, on the authority of Forest and Stream 

 that there are no trout in Mexico), but it was hard to look 

 into the clear water and believe it. Imagine my aston- 

 ishment, not to say disgust, to find later that the water 

 is barely fit to drink and the only fish it contains is the 

 mud cat! As a Mexican would say, Que barbaridad! 



Ah, but that sabinal (cypress grove)! We plunged 

 into an old woods road, where the white cedar boughs 

 swept our coach windows, and the great cypress locked 

 arms high overhead, testudine facta against the weapons 

 of old Sol. I had hardly seen a decent tree since I sum- 

 mered among the grand pines of El Dorado county, Cali- 

 fornia. The soul of the woodsman born rose up within 

 me. It was not vainly said, 



"The groves were God's first temples." 



Leaving the* coach we took our guns for a little tramp, 

 warned to be on the lookout for either deer or turkey. 

 We saw neither, but abundant indications of both. But 

 we had a glorious walk. Each had a guide, as it is easy 

 to lose oneself in the thick wood. I managed to get away 

 from mine, though. Lose me in such a place as that? 

 Not much. Next day a horseback party, visiting the 

 place to spe a wonderful double-trunk tree, saw a magni- 

 ficent flock of turkeys just where we left our carriage, 

 hut had no guns adequate for the occasion. That tree 

 was a good deal of a curiosity. The two trunks were 

 perfectly united by a cross-piece at the height of about 

 thirty feet, though some fifteen feet apart at the ground. 

 It was a very old cypress, and had been recently bui'ned 

 and killed. Don Luis gave a queer account of the burn- 

 ing. A peon found wild bees in the hollow, and in climb- 

 ing for the honey fell and was killed. His family in 

 childish resentment, and thinking there was something- 

 diabolical in such a tree anyhow, set fire to it. 



At dinner Don Luis apologized for what he considered 

 slender fare by saying that his cook was away on a visit and 

 that he had ordered a calf butchered, but that the ha- 

 cienda padre had interfered as it was Lent. Of course 

 we were all sure that there would be no lack of meat, 

 and there wasn't. But it was mostly meat of that same 

 calf, for a little extra pressure overruled the dignity of 

 the church. 



In the afternoon we went after deer. At a certain 

 place they were in the habit of coming down from the 

 hills into the green barley. There were plenty of tracks 

 around. 



The Doctor stationed himself to watch, while Don Luis 

 and I finding that we agreed in .considering that sort of 

 hunting irksome, started on a tramp. He is the first 

 Mexican gentleman I have found who will take his rifle 

 in hand and "foot it" after game. He is a capital shot, 

 too. President Diaz is said to be a famous walker. The 

 customary rtyle here, however, is to wait for men to 

 drive the deer by a stand. I stretched my legs over 

 some 7 or 8 miles of good honest mountain walking, but 

 saw nothing but a skunk, which I shot out of spite and 

 to hear my gun crack. One deer was seen by Don Luis 

 and I heard one on my return after dark. 



Don Luis was our driver, and going across the ditches 

 of the held one of our horses balked. The man who can 

 handle a balky horse, after dark, when he is hungry and 

 there is no road, and keep his temper, deserves a little 

 extra attention. This he succeeded in doing, so far as we 

 could see. (There are not many ' cuss words" in Spanish, 

 however.) Our outrider hooked his ever-present rope 

 around the coach tongue and with his wiry little black 

 pony "yanked" us out of the ditch, and then we went 

 booming home. 



This is enough this time. Besides, Forest and Stream 

 has just come, and who could expect one to sit here spin- 

 ning my yarn with it right under my nose? Aztec. 



Antelope and Deer of America. By J. D. Caton. 

 Price $2.50. Wing and Glass Ball Shooting with the 

 Rife. By W. C. Bliss. Price 50 cents. Rifle, Rod and 

 Gun in California. By T. 8. Van Dyke. Price $1.50. 

 Shore Birds. Price 15 cents. Woodcraft. By "Ness- 

 muk." Price $1. Trajectories of Hunting Rifles. Price 

 50 cents. Wild Fowl Shooting; see advertisement. 



Forest and Stream, Bos 3.833, N. Y. city, has descriptive Illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Leflmsfwell's hook, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed free on request. The hook is pro- 

 nouDced by "Nanit." "Gloan," "Dick Swiveller," "Sybillene" and 

 other competent authorities to be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



A CURIOUS GROUSE DRUMMING. 



SCHENECTADY, N. Y.— On one occasion while out 

 shooting in Clifton Park I fired at a grouse, which 

 fell to the ground and fluttered over it for some distance, 

 but before I could reach him the bird ro*e again, and fly- 

 ing high, disappeared over the tops of the trees in the 

 woods. Pursuing, I looked the ground well over, but 

 was unable to find him. It so happened that two or three 

 dayB after this occurrence I was again on the same 

 ground, and remembering the wounded grouse, went in 

 search of him. I had not gone far, when I heard a grouse 

 drum; and moving cautiously, I finally got behind an 

 old moss-covered stonefall that ran through the woods. 

 I had often, when out bunting, heard grouse drum, but 

 had never seen one perform the act; and I was very de- 

 sirous to do so. AtVr a while he drummed again, and I 

 moved along the fence nearer, having by this time got 

 his bearings. Upon looking over the wall I saw the bird 

 standing on what I supposed to be a stone about five or 

 six inches in height. After he had drummed he pecked 

 at the supposed stone, and then bobbed his head and tail 

 up alternately, the latter being spread out. Then he 

 jumped off the object and walked in a wide circle around 

 it, after the manner of the turkey cock, with wings low- 

 ered. After an interval he got on the stone again and 

 drummed and performed as before. About this time 

 something alarmed the drummer and he disappeared into 

 the covert. 



Upon going to the spot where he had drummed I was 

 astonished to find what I supposed a stone to be a dead 

 male grouse. Upon it the drummer had stood and 

 drummed, and about it he had paraded as described. 

 The dead bird bad one shot only through his head. It 

 was the same I had shot a couple of days before, which 

 had flown here and fallen dead. 



I have read that the drumming of the ruffed grouse is 

 a demonstration of love and courtship, but from this in- 

 cident I conclude it is also either one of rivalry and 

 triumph, or sounding a knell or requiem of a departed 

 mate or friend. Dorp. 



A NEW BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 



THE Brooklyn Institute Laboratory of Biological Re- 

 search, located at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, 

 announces its first season to open July 7 and continue 

 eight weeks. This promises to become one of the most 

 tffective organizations of its kind , springing into exist- 

 ence, as it does, with a strong board of managers, pre- 

 sided over by Mr. E. G. Blackford, a staff of lecturers of 

 more than national reputation, a location scarcely sur- 

 passed on the coast, and the free use of the fine buildings 

 and grounds of the New York Fish Commission. There 

 will be a bountiful supply of pure water from the Cold 

 Springs and salt water will be pumped from the harbor 

 into a stone reservoir from which it flows into the labor- 

 atory. All the apparatus and appliances for general bio- 

 logical work are provided, and boats, nets, dredges, a 

 steam launch, and other means of collecting are at hand. 

 The main laboratory room is 36ft. wide, 65ft. long, and 

 amply lighted. 



Dr. Bashford Dean is the director of the station, and 

 Prof. Franklin W. Hooper, secretary of the Brooklyn In- 

 stitute, will answer applications for admission as students. 

 The course of biology includes instruction in the use of 

 the microscope, photography and photomicrography, and 

 field work. The tuition fee is $24, and the cost of board 

 and room will be from $8 to $10 per week. 



There is a great field for institutions of this kind, and 

 we wish they might be greatly increased in numbers. 

 The amount of knowledge we have of the life histories of >. 

 most of our common marine animals is pitifully small. 

 It is noteworthy in the case of the fishes that until a spe- 

 cies becomes the subject of fishcultural operations scarcely 

 anything is known of it except its scientific name, its re- 

 lationships, and, perhaps, the limits of its range. The 

 laboratory of the Brooklyn Institute, originating under 

 most favorable auspices and exhibiting exceptional 

 strength, will doubtless achieve eminent success. 



IN THE SONORA COUNTRY. 



BARRANCA, Sonora, Mexico. — The Yasui Indians we 

 have here in Sonora are a fine race of savages as 

 savages go; they are tall, stout, and the fact that the 

 Mexican Government has been trying to conquer them 

 for the past hundred years and has always failed proves 

 them good fighters above the average. Uncle Sam tries 

 to keep bis wards temperate, but there are no restrictions 

 here, and a Yasui loves his muscal and buys it whenever 

 he can get money. The squaws and bucks get drunk 

 together on a perfect equality, and stay drunk until the 

 money is all gone. Muscal is distilled from the root of 

 the aloe; and if well made is equal to whisky. It is gen- 

 erally written "fiery mescal, " but if well made is not at 

 all fiery. 



The poor Mexican here is several grades above the In- 

 dian, but he cares not for luxuries nor fine furniture; a 

 hovel, with dirt floor and roof that never keeps out water, 

 is good enough. One room is all he wants; and the pig, 

 the burro and the chickens share that, making them- 

 selves familiar and poking their noses into any water or 

 food that the room may contain. No chair, bedstead nor 

 table graces the room; and beans and tortillas with a little 

 jerked beef are all they have to eat. That is satisfactory 

 if a man buys it himself, but if you hire him, including 

 his grub, he* becomes very fastidious in short order, and 

 wants ccffee, sugar and everything good. 



Game is not abundant here, but there are plenty of jack 

 rabbits, a few quail, a few doves, and some f-mall deer in 

 the hills cloee by. Hunting is unpleasant because of the 

 thorny brush and cactus of all sorts and kinds, that com- 

 pel one to go very carefully. A bird dog is of no use. 



Last night while four of us were sitting around a card 

 table, a large tarantula in the clutch of a tarantula hawk 

 fell in the center of the tahle, and had a great battle, the 

 hawk finally killing his antagonist. That is one of the 

 beauties of the country, having a tarantula, scorpion or 

 cpnt'pede drop on to you from the roof or crawl into your 

 blankets. There are lots of other equally beautiful things 

 in this country, but I haven't time to enumerate, so 

 audios! Onelung, 



